Denatured alcohol composition



Patented July 18, 1933 UNITED STATES PA EL NT OFFICE DENATURED ALCOHOL COMPOSITION No Drawing.

invention relates to a non-potable composition of ethyl alcohol with tertiary butanol.

The properties desired in a denaturant for alcohol are well known. The denaturant should not be readily separable from the alcohol, as by extraction or fractionation, and should not introduce properties which are undesirable in the uses for which the alcohol is intended. A satisfactory denaturant would be one of solubility in water and of boiling point much like that of ethyl alcohol,- of propertiesso similar to those of ethyl alcohol as not to interfere with its-uses in a great va-. riety of industries, and yet of such physiological action as to prevent drinking of the alcohol containing the denaturant.

This combination of properties I have i found to be possessed in a remarkable degree .much hke those of ethyl alcohol by tertiary butanol. Tertiary butyl alcohol is not suitable for drinking. It has many properties, especially solvent properties, so

' that its presence in alcohol is not objectionable for many industrial uses. Like ethyl alcohol, tertiary butanol is completely miscible with water in all proportions. Finally, the separation of tertiary butanol from" ethyl alcohol bydistillation is not easy, since the boiling point of tertiary butanol at atmospheric temperature is 82.8 0., or only 4.3 ethyl alcohol. Furthermore, the boilin points of tertiary butanol and ethyl alcoho are brought still closer together if water is present. The azeotropic mixture of water and alcohol has the boiling point 78.15 (1, whereas the azeotropic mixture of water and tertiary butanol'boils at 7 9.91' C.

Forthis reason, with tertiary butanol in the presence of water. For example, I- may add to. an alcohol-water solution, corresponding ap- C. above that of I may denature alcohol Application filed December 23, 1929. Serial No. 416,220.

limits. Thus I may use 5 to parts, say 20 parts of tertiary butanol to one hundred partsof ethyl alcohol, suitably in the presence of sufficient water to form the azeotropic mixtures.

Other substances may be added, as, for example, one of the denaturants such as benzol, wood alcohol, acetone, gasoline or other petroleum. products, and/or oxidized petroleum distillate.

claim: 1. A denatured alcohol composition comprising hydrous ethyl butanol.

2. A composition of matter comprising alcohol and tertiary,

ethyl alcohol, tertiary butanol, and water, the

proportion of water present being approximately that required to form azeotropic mixtures with the alcohols.

3. A denatured alcohol composition comprising hydrous eth to 60% yl alcohol and 5 of its weight of tertiary butanol.

4. A denatured alcohol composition com,- prising hydrous ethyl alcohol and approximately 20% of its weight of tertiary butanol.

5. A denatured alcohol composition comprising ethyl alcohol and 5 to 60% of its weight of tertiary butanol.

61A denatured alcohol composition comprising ethyl alcohol and approximately 20% of its weight of tertiary butanol.

. ROBERT CALVERT.

proximately to the azeotropic mixture, a tersolution which corto their azeotropic tiary butanol and water responds approximately mixture Propdrtions may be varied within wide 

